Third of Milton Keynes residents advocate cannabis legalisation, survey reveals

It has been a burning issue for years but according to a new survey, a third of Milton Keynes residents believe cannabis legalisation would lead to less of a burden on the NHS.
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Cannabis

Other benefits cited include tax revenues, increased quality for users, and less alcohol related problems.

The survey also revealed that 66% of people in Milton Keynes are not aware medical marijuana is legal.

While three in every four think the war on drugs has failed.

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Cannabis

According to the NHS, 337,870 of hospital admissions were due to alcohol abuse in one year in the UK and in 2017 alone, there were 5,843 alcohol-specific deaths across the country.

The US however, seems to have discovered a potential solution to these alcohol-related incidents: recent studies claim the reduction in overall alcohol consumption in the country is directly linked to the rise of medical marijuana legislation in multiple states.

Researchers claim states in which medical marijuana is legal showed almost a 15% reduction in monthly alcohol sales, and in states where recreational marijuana is legal, sales dropped by 20%.

A recent survey by CBDoil.co.uk found that people feel it would create less of a strain on the NHS if marijuana – currently a Class B drug – was legalised across the country.

The survey questioned 3,000 respondents and found that nearly one-third (29%) of Milton Keynes residents who support legalisation believe its main benefit would be less of a burden on the NHS.

Nearly one in five (18%) of respondents also believe legalising cannabis will free up police and courts' time, reducing the number of cases due to cannabis possession.

Around 10% of respondents in Milton Keynes also feel the legalisation of cannabis would result in an increased tax revenue for the country.

Additionally, 6% of supporters of marijuana legislation in Milton Keynes feel it would alleviate the number of alcohol-related problems in the UK.

Since November 2018, Brits have been legally able to access medicinal marijuana. However, it turns out the majority of people are actually unaware of the cannabis law with 64% of respondents saying they had no clue medical marijuana was legal in the UK.

Broken down into different areas of the UK, the study found that more than two-thirds (66%) of Milton Keynes residents were unaware that medical marijuana has been legalised.

The study also discovered that over half of people taking part would report a neighbour who they suspected of smoking cannabis, and three in four feel the war on drugs has, in fact, failed.

One third (34%) of respondents think that a cannabis store in their area would make a positive contribution.

However the age old reservations continue to the perception of cannabis as a gateway drug.

One million hours of police time are being wasted each year on policing the ban on smoking cannabis, the Liberal Democrats claim.

Research by the party drawn from official figures shows a total of 87,247 police caseloads relating to the drug were opened in 2015, with the average cost to the taxpayer per case estimated at £2,256.

The estimate says that in total £31m was spent on 1,044,180 police hours.

The party says the drug is already “freely available and widely used” and that regulation rather than prohibition makes sense.

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